"Own a Fish Tank without all the Hassle"

First things first, Aquazone is not a typical videogame per se. In the title, players maintain various fish and tank decorations within a virtual aquarium. Sounds like fun, eh?

Gameplay: Gameplay? It's a virtual fish tank!

Story: Well, the virtual fish could die from disease over time so new fish would have to be added. I guess that could be construed as a story.

Audio: Aquazone does feature a selection of music players can choose from to accompany their virtual fish watchin'. Too bad these players will probably never really want to listen to any of the music found in Aquazone, though. Personally, I turn the music off but keep the SFX on.
Video: The game is from 1996 (and is on Saturn) so the virtual fish do not look all that real, to be honest. The fish do not necessarily look bad or anything but players should be able to easily tell the difference between the virtual fish of Aquazone and real fish found in real aquariums. Same goes for the various plants and other accessories players can add to their tank, too. This 32-bit videogame isn't going to fool anybody walking by the television into thinking it's a real aquarium.

Re-Playability: Oh my, yes, Aquazone has plenty of re-playability; however, in order to fully appreciate all the many micro-managing aspects of Aquazone, a player should have at least a basic understanding of the Japanese language. For the most part a player can customize their tank as much as their little heart desires. A player can add a plant here; place a hunk of drift wood there, etcetera. Now if a player has a basic grasp of the Japanese language they could activate the simulation aspect of the game and enjoy feeding their fish as well as controlling the filter, heat and other care-type activities. Problems can and will arise from the simulation aspect of Aquazone, though, such as disease which can occur inside the tank. This in and of itself wouldn't be too much of a problem except for the fact a player will have to cure the disease by placing the right balances of drugs and chemicals into their tank. Unless a player knows their Japanese in regards to various drugs and the effects on fish, they might end up with some dead aquatic life in their virtual tank. I myself do not feel at all comfortable in my understanding of drug interaction upon fish even in English, let alone Japanese. I almost always play Aquazone without any simulation aspects activated.

My biggest complaint against Aquazone is there are only three types of fish available. I'm sorry but I always enjoy variety and choice in my virtual fish tank games (actually, I'm being facetious; Aquazone is the only virtual fish tank game I own). There are expansion packs available for Aquazone, though. One year after originally posting this review on GameFAQs I was able to locate all of the expansion packs. These discs add a variety of additional fish and tank accessories to the main game. If a player truly enjoys their experience with Aquazone, I strongly suggest picking up at least a few of the expansion packs, if not all of them. The additional discs dramatically expand the depth of choice for tank customization.

At its heart, Aquazone is basically a virtual fish tank and made for those players who just so happen to crave that specific experience. If anyone is truly interested in experimenting with various virtual fish tank designs, Aquazone for SEGA Saturn might prove a rewarding experience.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/27/00, Updated 06/12/07